USS Oriskany (CVA-34) 1963-64 WESTPAC Unisex Sweatshirt

USS Oriskany (CVA-34) deployed to the Western Pacific in 1963-64, years that marked a dramatic turning point in American involvement in Southeast Asia. In August 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin incidents off the coast of North Vietnam provided the justification for Congressional authorization of large-scale military action, and the United States crossed the threshold into open warfare. Oriskany was in the region as the situation escalated, and her air wing was positioned to respond as events unfolded. The 1963-64 deployment captured the transition from Cold War deterrence to active combat operations, and the sailors and aviators aboard Oriskany found themselves on the leading edge of a conflict that would define a generation. The groundwork laid during years of hard training at sea would be tested in earnest in the years that followed. This sweatshirt honors all who served aboard Oriskany during the historic 1963-64 WESTPAC deployment.